Bartlet Dispatches Charlie for National Fire Plan
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Bartlet requests Charlie retrieve the National Fire Plan, hinting at a pressing call with Bill Horton.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Implied frustration bordering on accusatory outrage
Invoked repeatedly by name as the Wyoming Governor whose imminent call looms over the scene, criticized for nearing 'pyromaniac' label on Bartlet due to 'let it burn' policy, with prior respect now eroded amid tourism fears.
- • Pressure Bartlet on wildfire management impacting Wyoming
- • Safeguard state interests against federal policy
- • 'Let it burn' endangers tourism and voter goodwill
- • Governors hold leverage in national crises
Calmly dutiful, neutral focus on immediate task without emotional display
Present in the Outer Oval Office, responds immediately to Bartlet's summons with 'Yes, sir,' agrees to 'run over and get' the National Fire Plan from the dining room, and departs swiftly after Bartlet's thanks, enabling presidential preparation.
- • Swiftly retrieve the National Fire Plan to aid Bartlet's upcoming call
- • Minimize any delay in supporting presidential duties
- • The President's urgent requests demand instant compliance
- • Efficiency in small actions bolsters larger leadership efforts
Worried and grieving, feigning authoritative command while raw loss fractures his resolve
Enters the Outer Oval Office at night, summons Charlie to urgently retrieve the National Fire Plan from the dining room for the impending Horton call, reads briefly from a folder, engages Leo in tense dialogue revealing policy doubts and voter optics fears, delegates the call, then gazes at and touches Mrs. Landingham's empty desk, sits behind it, takes a pen from the drawer, holds it reflectively, and pockets it.
- • Arm himself with the National Fire Plan to defend 'let it burn' policy against Horton's criticism
- • Process grief through tactile connection to Mrs. Landingham's absent presence
- • Expert advice on environmental policy outweighs short-term political optics
- • Personal rituals like the perfect pen sustain leadership amid mourning
Echoed in Bartlet's grief-stricken reverence
Absent but profoundly present through her empty desk in the Outer Oval, which Bartlet turns to gaze at and slide his hand over immediately after Charlie departs, later sitting behind to rifle the drawer for her ritual pen, evoking her daily loyalty.
- • Symbolically sustain Bartlet through ritual memento
- • Haunt the space as reminder of personal cost to duty
- • Small acts of care anchor leaders in turmoil
- • Loyalty transcends death
Supportive and reassuring, steady amid Bartlet's vulnerability
Enters the Outer Oval Office casually greeting 'Good evening,' engages Bartlet in dialogue probing Wyoming governor's shift from respect to pyromaniac accusations, notes tourism concerns, elicits Bartlet's expert-based defense and prayerful doubt, confirms call timing, offers to 'handle the call' which Bartlet accepts, then exits to his office.
- • Shield Bartlet from politically volatile Horton confrontation
- • Reinforce confidence in the fire policy despite electoral risks
- • Chief of Staff absorbs fire to protect the President's focus
- • Prior goodwill with allies like Horton can be leveraged
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Mrs. Landingham's perfect pen emerges from a box in her desk drawer; Bartlet discovers it post-Leo exit, holds it contemplatively—a tactile ritual memento—then pockets it, closing the box; this quiet theft crystallizes grief's emotional cost, contrasting policy frenzy and forging resolve amid subpoena shadows and wildfire rage.
Central policy document explicitly named by Bartlet as left behind in the dining room, urgently dispatched for Charlie's retrieval to fortify defenses in the imminent Horton call; its absence underscores grief-induced lapses, while its contents (implied via dialogue) justify 'let it burn' amid environmental and political firestorm, driving proactive leadership beat.
The folder housing the National Fire Plan is referenced as abandoned in the dining room, prompting Bartlet's command to Charlie; paradoxically, Bartlet reads from 'the folder' immediately post-departure, suggesting hasty prep or symbolic grasp at policy armor against Horton's assault, blending urgency with subtle narrative irony.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Horton's confirmation of the wildfire's spread directly causes Bartlet and Leo's discussion about political fallout."
"Bartlet's fixation on finding the perfect pen symbolizes his unresolved grief for Mrs. Landingham, highlighted again when he interacts with her empty desk."
"Charlie's revelation about Mrs. Landingham's pens emotionally echoes Bartlet's later interaction with her empty desk."
Key Dialogue
"Bartlet: "I'm expecting a call from Bill Horton and I left the National Fire Plan in the dining room.""
"Charlie: "I'll run over and get it.""
"Bartlet: "Thanks.""